Button loading mechanism for sewing machines



C- D. LESLIE Sept. 22, 1964 BUTTON LOADING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 21, 1962 INVENTOR.

CHARLES D. LESLIE FIG. 2

II I

v gammy United States Patent 3,149,749 BUTTON LQADING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Charles D. Leslie, Rochester, N.Y., assignor to Rochester Button Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 21, 1962, Ser. No. 204,132 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-135) The present invention relates to orienters, and in one aspect to orienters for orienting buttons that are to be fed to a sewing machine. More particularly, the invention relates to hopper-type orienters from which buttons are individually discharged into a chute in properly oriented position for delivery to a sewing machine. Still more specifically the invention constitutes an improvement on orienters of the type disclosed in the patent to Hendrickson et al. No. 2,959,324, granted Nov. 8, 1960 and in the pending patent application of Young, Ser. No. 59,055, filed Sept. 28, 1960, now US. Patent No. 3,098,584, issued July 23, 1963.

Button orienters of the type referred to herein comprise a hopper for holding a large quantity of buttons and having in the bottom thereof a rotating loading disc which is provided with a plurality of angularly spaced pockets around its perimeter which are intended to pick up individual buttons and deliver them through an opening in the hopper into the chute. A brush sweeps out of the pockets any incorrectly-oriented buttons. The hopper is tilted with respect to the vertical and so is the disc, so that the buttons tend to slide down toward the lower side of the hopper to be picked up by the individual pockets of the disc as it rotates through the pile of buttons in the hopper. The disc carries an agitator which tumbles the buttons so that they will drop into the pockets in the disc to be carried thereby under the brush.

Because of the sliding of the buttons on the disc and the tumbling of them, the buttons and the disc tend to assume a charge of static electricity. The result is that the buttons tend to stick on the disc and on the inside wail of the hopper, and not drop into the pockets. Moreover, when the charged buttons are fed into the chute leading from the hopper they tend to cling to the sidewalls of the chute, often with sufficient tenacity to overcome the force of gravity so that they become stuck within the chute, and back up the buttons behind them with the result that feed of the buttons to the sewing machine is stopped.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved orienter of the type described for orienting buttons and other small objects in which the chances of imparting a static charge to the objects will be minimized.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved orienter of the character described which will be simple in construction, easy to maintain in order, and which will expedite the orientation and feed of the buttons, or other objects, which are to be oriented, to the machine in which they are to be used.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an axial view of an orienter built according to one embodiment of this invention, parts thereof being shown in full, and other parts thereof being shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, cut away in part, of this orienter;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view looking at the inside of the orienter and showing part of the face of the rotating loading disc with an inverted button resting thereon; and

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FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken along the line 44 in FIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the following description reference will be made particularly to the orienting and feeding of buttons. It will readily be seen, however, that orienters made according to this invention may be used for orienting other objects as well as buttons; for instance, cupped washers, lock washers, headed tubular rivets, etc.

Referring now to the drawing by numerals of reference, 10 denotes a bracket or post, which may be fastened to a table or stand, and on which the hopper assembly of the orienter is mounted. The upper face of this bracket is inclined, as shown in FIG. 1, at an angle of about 45 to the horizontal to secure the desired downward tilt of the loading disc. Secured to the bracket 10 is the hub 11 of a generally cup-shaped support 12 from which there is suspended a conventional geared drive motor (not illustrated). The armature shaft of this motor is connected by a conventional coupling to a shaft 15, which is journaled in anti-friction bearings 16 in the hub 11. The shaft 15 is at its upper end formed with a head 21 with which the four arms 26 of a cruciform agitator are integral.

Mounted also on the shaft 15 below the head 21 and agitator arms 20 is the loading disc 22. This may be secured to the shaft by a pressed fit, or in any other suitable manner, to rotate therewith.

The disc 22 has a plate 25 secured by screws 26 (FIG. 2) on its upper surface beneath head 21. This plate extends to the periphery of the disc, but has a plurality of equiangularly spaced notches or recesses 27 formed in it, which open onto the periphery of the plate. These notches or recesses, with the disc 22, form pockets for holding buttons. The recesses have sides which flare outwardly from one another toward the periphery of the plate 25 so as to permit buttons readily to slide out of the recesses through a discharge chamber of the hopper, thereby permitting the buttons to be discharged from the hopper.

Secured in the disc 22 in registry with at least a plurality of the recesses 2'? are pins 38. The pins may reciprocate in bushings as disclosed in Patent No. 2,959,324 above mentioned, or they may be secured directly in the disc as disclosed in application Ser. No. 59,055 referred to above.

The disc 22 is positioned to rotate in a fixed, nonrotating cylinder or drum 23 which is fastened by means of screws (not shown) to the rim 24 of the support 12. The peripheries of the disc 22 and plate 25 are close to, but have a slight clearance with reference to the drum. The cylinder, or drum, and the disc together constitute the button-holding hopper.

A typical boutton B such as may be handled by the orienter, is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The upper face of this button has a spherical concavity 35 (FIGS. 3 and 4) centrally disposed therein; and the other face has a straight-sided cylindrical recess 36 therein. 37 are the holes for the thread by which the button is sewed to a garment. The button is shown inverted in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The nest pins 30 for this particular shaped button have heads 38 which are approximately spherical and match approximately the concavities 35 in the tops of the buttons. Thus, a button, when properly oriented may nest on the head 38 of a nest pin.

Mounted on the inside wall of the drum 23 is a flexible sweep or brush-off member 60 which is of flat spring metal, and which is riveted to a stud 61. Stud 61 at its upper end is threaded into the head of a shaft which is journaled in a bracket 63 secured to the outside of drum 23. The shaft projects into the hopper; and stud 61 has a knurled head 62 by means of which it is adjusted so that the brush-oif member 60 is positioned so that it will pass idly over any button B which is rightside up, and therefore properly oriented on and nesting on a pin 30, but will brush off of the pin any button B which is wrong-side up and therefore not properly oriented.

After they have passed under sweep 60, the properly oriented buttons will be carried out by the pockets 2'7 into a discharge chamber formed by an arcuate angle plate 64. A nylon leaf spring as (FIG. 2) secured at one end to the inside wall of this plate may act as a deflector to push the buttons, which are carried into the discharge chamber, from the pockets 2'? out of a slot 55 (FIG. 2) in the wall of the drum into the chute 56 as described in application Ser. No. 59,055; or the buttons may be lifted out of the pockets by mechanism such as described in Patent No. 2,959,324. The means by which the buttons are discharged from the hopper into the chute form no part of the present invention.

Due to the tilt of the hopper and particularly of the disc or plate 25, the buttons tend to gravitate toward the lower side of the hopper as explained previously. This causes them to slide on the plate 25. Heretofore these plates have had plane upper surfaces; and the sliding of the buttons on the plates have caused the buttons to become charged with static electricity, particularly in tr e winter time when the atmosphere is dry. This has caused trouble. When the static is great enough the buttons will not slide on the plate but will stick to it; and the buttons do not get into the pockets of the disc. Even, when they do, they still carry a static charge, and as they slide out of the hopper down the chute, this charge may be augmented by sliding contact of the buttons with the side of the chute to such an extent that a button will become stuck in the chute, and not slide down it., This will back the buttons up into the hopper and the sewing machine will be starved for buttons.

The present invention aims to eliminate, and at least to minimize static. To this end, the plate 25 is made with an upper surface which is dimpled or indented to provide a surface having dimples or indentations 28 and ridges or ribs 29 surrounding these dimples or indentations. The buttons B will therefore have limited, localized contact with the upper surface of the plate and will readily slide thereon without generating objectionable static.

As additional means for minimizing generation of static, there is a removable cover 65 snugly positioned in the open end of drum 23. A knob 66 is secured by a screw 67 on the exterior of the cover centrally thereof. Mounted on the inside face of cover 65 by means of a screw 68 and a nut 69 is a resilient block '70 of sponge rubber or the like which is adapted to be saturated with water to maintain a high relative humidity in drum 23. The humidity militates against generation of static.

In use, a plurality of buttons are loaded into the hopper. Due to the 45 inclination of the disc 22, these buttons will slide toward the lower part of the hopper. When the motor is started, the disc 22, plate 25, agitator arms 20 and the nest pins 30 rotate together. As the plate 25 rotates its recesses pick up buttons and they become nested on the heads 38 of the pins .30. A correctly nested button will enter the discharge chamber and be discharged into the chute 56.

Since the surface of plate 25 is dimpled rather than smooth, there is a minimum of contact between the buttons and the face of the plate, whereby possibility of building up of a surface charge will be minimized. ,By keeping block 70 saturated with water, the relative humidity in drum 23 is kept high enough to further retard the tendency of static electricity to build up on the buttons prior to their being discharged out of slot 55 and into chute 56. Buttons B will thus slide freely on plate 25 and pass freely along chute 56 rather than cling to the plate and to the sides of the chute, thereby failing to reach the discharge zone, and/ or jamming the chute as in prior orienters.

While the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof it will be understood that it is capable of further modification.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A button feeder comprising (a) a hopper for holding a plurality of buttons,

(5)) a disc mounted in the bottom of said hopper for rotation on an axis inclined to the vertical, so that buttons thereon tend to gravitate to one side of the hopper,

(c) said disc having a plurality of pockets in a portien or" its upper face in its periphery,

(r!) the remaining portion of said upper face having therein a plurality of irregularly-shaped, closelyspaced depressions separated by intervening ridges on which the buttons ride during rotations of the disc, each depression being completely surrounded by a ridge, and each depression having an area less than the area of the buttons,

(2) said pockets being adapted, upon rotation of said disc, to pick up and transport buttons to a discharge chute leading from said hopper, and

(f) means in said hopper for maintaining a generally high relatively humidity in said hopper thereby to militate against building up of an electrostatic charge on said buttons.

2. A button feeder comprising (a) a hopper for holding buttons,

(b) a disc rotatably mounted in the bottom of said hopper and and having in its upper face a plurality of pockets for selecting and carrying buttons to a discharge chute leading from said hopper,

(c) said upper face having a plurality of ridges thereon across which said buttons are adapted to slide during the rotation of said disc,

(d) a cover secured to the top of said hopper, and

(e) a Water absorbent member secured to the inner face of said cover to humidity the hopper, thereby to minimize the possibility of an electrostatic charge being built up on the buttons.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 341,788 Arnold May 11, 1886 705,490 Vandercook July 22, 1902 2,033,090 Barker Mar. 3, 1936 2,310,933 Burger Feb. 16, 1943 2,349,487 Davis May 23, 1944 2,532,760 Davies Dec. 5, 1950 2,547,132 Longfellow Apr. 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 404,556 Germany Oct. 21, 1924 214,920 Great Britain May 1, 1924 OTHER REFERENCES Static Electricity, Circular C438, National Bureau of Standards, 1942, pages 13 and 14 only. 

1. A BUTTON FEEDER COMPRISING (A) A HOPPER FOR HOLDING A PLURALITY OF BUTTONS, (B) A DISC MOUNTED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOPPER FOR ROTATION ON AN AXIS INCLINED TO THE VERTICAL, SO THAT BUTTONS THEREON TEND TO GRAVITATE TO ONE SIDE OF THE HOPPER, (C) SAID DISC HAVING A PLURALITY OF POCKETS IN A PORTION OF ITS UPPER FACE IN ITS PERIPHERY, (D) THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID UPPER FACE HAVING THEREIN A PLURALITY OF IRREGULARLY-SHAPED, CLOSELYSPACED DEPRESSIONS SEPARATED BY INTERVENING RIDGES ON WHICH THE BUTTONS RIDE DURING ROTATIONS OF THE DISC, EACH DEPRESSION BEING COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY A RIDGE, AND EACH DEPRESSION HAVING AN AREA LESS THAN THE AREA OF THE BUTTONS, (E) SAID POCKETS BEING ADAPTED, UPON ROTATION OF SAID DISC, TO PICK UP AND TRANSPORT BUTTONS TO A DISCHARGE CHUTE LEADING FROM SAID HOPPER, AND (F) MEANS IN SAID HOPPER FOR MAINTAINING A GENERALLY HIGH RELATIVELY HUMIDITY IN SAID HOPPER THEREBY TO MILITATE AGAINST BUILDING UP OF AN ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE ON SAID BUTTONS. 